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OPINION
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015
things wrong with
the America I love
The
British expatriate offers a report card on his adopted country
By PATRICK WEBB
For The Daily Astorian
T
here is a line in the movie “Revenge of the
Nerds” where ginger-haired Poindexter,
lacking small talk, asks his Omega Mu sorority
date, “Would you rather live in the ascension of
a civilization or its decline?”
I love America. But I fear it has tipped to-
ward decline — far too early for this young,
clever experiment in democracy.
I am a ¿ rst-generation, legal immigrant who
joined a white-collar tide from the m other s hip
in 1980, seeking escape after a year of grim re-
ality, aka Margaret Thatcher.
Instead, I endured ¿ rst the failed celluloid
unreality of Ronald Reagan then the consistent-
ly disappointing leadership that followed.
Thirty-¿ ve years after I stepped off that
Pan-American plane, I have paid my dues. I’ve
stayed silent for years, maintaining that awk-
ward persona of an impartial observer, a guest
tolerating his host’s foibles.
I cannot do so any longer. As we Britons say,
America is going to the dogs. It needs rescuing.
So, as nothing gets read these days unless it
promises a list, here’s mine.
The six things wrong about the America I
love.
No 1. Civility
First is the lack of civility. I realize my back-
ground, as a white privileged Englishman, gives
me a reputation for avoiding rudeness. We are a
polite tribe, even with our bayonets. Am I alone
in thinking that this shrill cacophony of abuse in
modern America is simply sickening? The peo-
ple who raise their voices the loudest and are
the rudest are not necessarily those who should
be heard or heeded. When will this nation re-
alize that civility is not a form of weakness?
In my view, it is a sign of a tolerance we seem
to be lacking. People laughed at Drew Herzig
when he made this point before joining the As-
toria City Council. Who is laughing now?
No 2. Violence
There have been 239 documented school
and college campus shootings since I emigrat-
ed.
We all know why. But no one wants to do
anything about it.
not for the $23,000 a year. And
“A well-regulated ‘This shrill
don’t tell me she works “part
militia being necessary to the se- cacophony
time,” because that’s a crock
curity of a free state, the right of
of you-know-what. She seems
the people to keep and bear arms
exceptional.
of abuse
shall not be infringed.”
Nationally, I look at the bur-
The Second Amendment in modern
geoning ¿ eld of Democratic
could not be clearer.
and Republican suits wanting
America
• Does anyone really be-
to lead us into the next disas-
lieve that the two teenagers who
ter, and I see little difference
is simply
massacred kids at Columbine
between them. Just about all
High School hoarded guns so sickening.’
have sold out to monied special
they could drill daily to be “a
interests. It is not an original
well-regulated militia.”
thought, but I agree they should be required
• How about the racist who massacred nine to wear sponsor logos on their suits just like
Americans in church in Charleston, S.C.?
NASCAR drivers. And don’t get me started on
• Or, how about the jihadist who just massa- Donald Trump. His comedic excesses make
cred the U.S. Marines at Chattanooga, Tenn.?
some of the GOP candidates appear halfway
The kerfufÀ e over the Confederate À ag that civilized.
followed the Charleston deaths was asking
the wrong question. The over-riding question
shouldn’t be about an historical piece of col-
ored cloth. The First Amendment quite properly
gives that a free pass, just as it does the abhor-
America loves winning. Our national psyche
rent Nazi swastika, and the Union Jack, which says we must be No. 1. We are. We are topping
once ruled over Eastern Standard Time. The league tables in poverty, hunger and homeless-
people who greeted President Barack Obama ness. The same country that put a man on the
waving the s tars and b ars have a c onstitutional- moon has citizens living in their cars and on its
ly guaranteed right to do so. Just like the people streets. Yet this is the most afÀ uent, advanced,
who cheer him or any other president.
supposedly civilized country in the world.
The more relevant question is the one the
And too few people are standing up and
rest of the world asks after every one of those saying what needs to be said. This truth hurts.
shootings. With all these avoidable tragedies, If we are going to create and maintain a truly
why do we allow improper people such unbri- supportive society, one that helps our most vul-
dled access to lethal weapons?
nerable neighbors, we need to cut spending on
There is one ¿ rearm for every person in the guns and bombs. And we need to gather more
United States of America. Based on this pro- tax revenue to pay for important services — like
clivity, I am inclined to wonder, is this nation mental health — that are not properly funded.
home to the best-regulated militia in the world? That means more people paying their fair share
It certainly ought to be. Yet, when it was truly of taxes. Yes, that might mean more taxes for ev-
needed for its peacetime mission during Hurri- eryone.
cane Katrina, much of our true, well-regulated
It has always puzzled me that IRS agents
militia was away killing brown foreigners in are demonized. Doesn’t everyone believe their
places most Americans couldn’t ¿ nd on a map. neighbor should pay at least as much tax as they
And all based on a lie.
do? That means fewer loopholes and more IRS
agents to pursue the people who don’t pay.
W riter’s
N otebook
we talking about the Klan or Westboro Baptist
Church? No, you say, but ...
“Inventing a Christian America: The Myth
of the Religious Founding,” by Steven K. Green
from Willamette University in Salem, should be
required reading in grade schools, an antidote to
the myth preservers.
Let’s let religion be a matter of personal
choice or conscience, not an area where one zeal-
ot and his brainwashed followers’ biases become
public policy. There is only One True Religion
and that is mine. Except for yours, and the bloke
down the street. How about we agree to disagree
— and move ahead?
No 4. Taxes
No 3. Leadership
How has politician become a dirty word? I
wonder, was it always? I look around at people
like Deb Boone, diligently serving our com-
munity in the Oregon Legislature with few
rewards and even fewer pats-on-the-back, and
wonder why on Earth she does it. Certainly
No. 5 Religion
It is way past time to restore government, as
those revered Founding Fathers intended it, back
into a religion-free zone. How many more need-
less deaths will the Religion(s) of Love cause?
When we talk about “Christian values,” are
No. 6. Protest
There is far too much civil obedience in this
country. Too many are silent. Americans have swal-
lowed the bread and circuses they are fed. Even
demonstrators, who show enough cajones to put
their feet on the pavement, are voluntarily allowing
themselves to be penned behind police lines. The
Occupy movement offered a timely message, but
was hijacked by anarchists. However, it said the un-
said: the class war is alive and well.
Speaking of police, I think we are lucky on
the North Coast to have dedicated of¿ cers who
take their “serve-and-protect” oath seriously.
Bu we read almost daily of cops around the
nation shooting unarmed black men who are
minding their own business. It’s bad enough that
they do it. But most seem to get away with it,
with little or no sanction. Am I alone in thinking
this has to stop?
I
t is time to stand up, America.
Today’s wonderful rainbow of poorly re-
warded veterans, gay Lutherans, agnostic Sea-
hawks fans, long-suffering soccer moms, and
even “old hung-up, Mr. Normal” from “Tom-
my,” needs to say one word.
Enough!
This is our country.
We must take it back and reshape it. Properly.
Venceremos!
North Coast writer Patrick Webb is former
managing editor of The Daily Astorian.
Open forum
Slow down!
R
egarding the deaths on U.S.
Highways 30 and 101 in Clatsop
County (“Deadliest roads,” The Daily
Astorian, July 31): Go the speed limit,
people. I have been commuting since
May from Portland to the Long Beach
(Wash.) Peninsula, and 95 percent of
the vehicles that pass me when I am
going the speed limit are four-wheel
drive pickups or SUVs.
I always drive the speed limit, but
these vehicles pass carelessly doing 10-
20 miles over the speed limit on High-
way 30 just to be stopped at the Safe-
way light in Astoria. So many vehicles
pass on the Astoria/Washington bridge,
also, just to be one car ahead, and then
are stopped for bridge construction, or
are one car ahead of you at the light.
It’s insane. It is really bad on the
Paci¿ c Highway, Sandridge Road and
Highway 101 on the Washington side,
heading to Ocean Park. Just yesterday,
I saw two close calls. People are pass-
ing on solid yellow lines, also.
I have been driving in California
for the last four years and never saw
anything like this. What’s the hurry?
CHRISTI DANOWSKI
Vancouver, Wash.
Bernie for president
O
n Wednesday, July 29, I drove to
Astoria from Nehalem to attend a
“Bernie for President” meeting. There
were an estimated 100,000 supporters
at more than 3,500 organized meetings
all over this country on this day.
In American politics there are two
primary sources of power: Organized
people and organized money. Orga-
nized money has been buying our
federal government and our state gov-
ernments for years, and look where we
are: Broken economy, crumbling in-
frastructure, unfair tax codes, and the
people we elect vote in favor of $pe-
cial interests instead of our interests.
At the rate we are going, our chil-
dren and grandchildren are going to be
in big trouble. College is all but unaf-
fordable. Most loans have fees besides
interest. The Federal Student Aid web-
site (https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/
loans/interest-rates) says that interest
rates range from over 4.29 to over 6.84
percent, fees range from 1.073 to 4.272
percent. Average college costs range
from $10,000 to $35,000 per year.
When our kids graduate from college
with these big debts, will there be jobs?
According to www.politifact.com,
our overall unemployment rate is over
10 percent, and that doesn’t count the
thousands who lost their jobs and re-
ceived no unemployment, and those in
their 40s and 50s who just simply can’t
¿ nd work today. White kids entering
the job market have an unemploy-
ment rate of 33 percent, Hispanic kids
36 percent and black kids 51 percent.
Bernie Sanders makes it plain that
most changes occur from grassroots
organizing, and it will take most of us
doing something to change the down-
ward path we are on. I know this is
true. Thats why I went.
If you don’t know who Bernie
Sanders is, you should ¿ nd out.
DIXIE GAINER
Nehalem
No clean jobs at LNG
T
here are people who favor the idea
of having two lique¿ ed natural gas
(LNG) terminals in Oregon — one at
Coos Bay and the other near Warren-
ton — because these massive projects
offer “jobs.” But let’s ask ourselves,
“What kinds of jobs?”
Are the Jordan Cove jobs promot-
ing clean and renewable energy? Of
course not. The Jordan Cove project
will require 235 miles of 36-inch di-
ameter pipeline to run through farm-
land, forest, streams, and wetlands.
The export LNG facility at Coos Bay
will perpetuate the use of fracking, and
throughout the U.S. local communities
are taking up the ¿ ght against the dan-
gerous reliance on fracking to extract
natural gas.
Once natural gas is re¿ ned it be-
comes methane, and methane is a
more potent heat-trapping greenhouse
gas than carbon dixode. Methane is
dangerous because it leaks during
drilling, production, pipeline transmis-
sion, and while being lique¿ ed into
LNG. Finally, the Jordan Cove site is
situated near the Cascadia Subduction
Zone, and there is no guarantee that a
9.0 magnitude earthquake won’t strike
within the lifespan of the plant.
The same principles apply to the
Warrenton site, as well.
GREG JACOB, PH.D.
Hillsboro
Save the festival
I
f ever a town has received a love
letter, it was Astoria. Sergey Anton-
ov’s letter brought tears to my eyes, as
often his music did (“Support the festi-
val,” The Daily Astorian, July 30).
The ¿ rst time he played here I
wondered if anyone realized what a
world class performance they were
hearing. This year was not just out-
standing, but to give us the time and
talent you could ¿ nd no place else, was
breathtaking. He brought his friends,
and they were everywhere.
In a world that is so messed up,
to have this wonder here in Astoria
give such soul food for the heart —
the thought that anyone would let
this festival fall apart is just unthink-
able. Surely we can ¿ nd a way to
solve this problem. We’ve come too
far to just walk away.
If I was 20 years younger and
healthier, I would get on my white
horse and À y to the rescue. But as in
the past, and now, I can contribute with
a little money and support if given an
organization to work with.
Please, I beg the people of Astoria,
do not let the Astoria Music Festival
slip away from us. It is the bright light
of the year for many of us.
JO ROBINSON
Astoria
Reform democracy
L
ast week I listened in on a na-
tional conference call with U.S.
Rep. John Delaney of Maryland who
discussed the Open Our Democracy
Act, HR 2655 (http://1.usa.gov/1SB-
GzLC), which he recently introduced.
The call was convened and hosted
by Jackie Salit, president of Indepen-
dentVoting.org, one of the largest as-
sociations of independent voters in the
country, of which I’m a part. On the
call, we got the inside scoop on this
important legislation.
The bill does three things: enacts
Top Two nonpartisan primaries for all
Congressional elections in the U.S.,
makes Election Day a national holi-
day, and creates a road map whereby
the practice of gerrymandering could
be replaced with an independent redis-
tricting process.
In other words, it’s a gridlock-¿ ght-
ing package of reform designed to
empower voters and give our coun-
try some much needed breathing
room from the partisanship that now
over-determines every step of the po-
litical process.
Delaney said “Politicians always
make the mistake of underestimat-
ing the American people; 300 million
smart Americans are not going to let
some 500 members of Congress stand
in their way forever.” I couldn’t agree
more.
Given the vested interests of politi-
cians in the status quo of the two-party
system, it’s going to take a grassroots
movement of voters to build the pres-
sure to make these kinds of reform
happen.
I’ve written to my representative,
Peter DeFazio, and asked him to let all
voters be heard in the election process.
Keeping everyone included is the only
way to have a government by the peo-
ple and for the people. Please join me
in writing your representatives. They
need to hear from you.
KEMBERLY TODD
Independent Voters of Oregon
(IVOO)
Roseburg
Inhumane driver
I
feel the need to comment about an
accident that occurred on the road to
Hammond coming from Warrenton on
Sunday, Aug. 2, around 9 a.m. Some-
one struck a dog that was crossing the
highway at around 17th Place. We did
not see the accident directly. However,
we did see the driver leave immediately
after striking the dog, without even get-
ting out to see if he could help the dog.
We do not doubt that this was
probably an accident that could not
be avoided. However, we are greatly
disturbed that someone would strike a
pet with an automobile and then drive
away without even trying to see if the
pet could be helped.
The dog died at the scene about 20
minutes after it was hit, and so the dog
could not have been saved. However,
it was not obvious to the people who
went to help the dog that it might have
been saved. Uncaring people who
drive away from accidents are very
close to be inhumane in my opinion,
and I am greatly stressed that these
things happen in this day and age.
SCOTT WIDDICOMBE
Warrenton
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